Method and machine for operating on soles



' Nov. 12, 1935.

Filed March 20, 1935 4 Shee s-Sheet 2 Nov. 12,1935. E, E. WINKLEY i IMETHOD AND MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLES Filed March 20, 1933v 4SheetsSheet 3 Nov. 12, 1935. E. E. WINKLEY METHOD AND MACHINE FOROPERATING 0N SOLES Filed March 20, 1953 4 Sheets$heet 4 Patented Nov.12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND MACHINE FOR OPERATING ONSOLES Application March 20, 1933, Serial No. 661,666 In Great BritainApril 28, 1932 44 Claims.

This invention relates to methods of and ma chines for operating onsoles and is illustrated herein with reference to the shaping of shoesoles both longitudinally and transversely as is contemplated also byUnited States Letters Patent No. 1,939,750, granted December 19, 1933upon an application filed in my name and United States Letters PatentNo. 1,772,038, granted August 5, 1930, upon application of H. A.Davenport and N. F. Hopkins.

A sole is treated in accordance with the inventions disclosed in theLetters Patent referred to above by having portions of the fore and heelparts relatively positioned to give the shank the angular relation tothe fore and heel parts which it is to have in the finished shoe, andthen by having the shank portion operated upon by a tool which impartsthe desired transverse curvature to the shank.

While it is practicable, and sometimes desirable from the standpoint ofeconomy, as pointed out in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, bodily toextend or stretch the shanks of soles as well as to shape them into theform they are to have in the finished shoe, some methods of shoemakingrequire that over-all stretching of the shank shall be minimized oravoided. In such a case, a pattern arranged to support the axial portionof the shank is employed in conjunction with a tool for imparting thedesired transverse shape to the sole shank. In operating in this manner,there may be a tendency insome cases, when a sole is stretchedlongitudinally only a little or not at all, for a portion of theforepartcontiguous to the ball line to buckle slightly owing to the lackof sufficient longitudinal tension in the sole to cause it to be,wrapped about the portion of the pattern at or near the ball line andthe fact that the portion of the sole in question is relatively free,beingsupported only on its lower side.

In view of the foregoing, an object of the invention is to provide animproved method of and machine for operating on shoe soles by the use ofwhich the above-mentioned tendency is corrected.

In accordance with this object, the invention in one aspect contemplatesthe shaping ofa shoe sole by relatively positioning the fore and heelparts of the sole so as to give the intermediate shank portion such anangular relation with respect to the fore and heel parts as it is tohave in the finished shoe, controlling the portion of the sole in thevicinity of the ball line and displacing the marginal portions of theshank relatively to the central portion thereof, thereby to portion ofthe sole in the vicinity of the ball line 5 V is effected, after thefore and heel parts of the sole have been positioned as described above,by applying pressure to portions of the forepart and shank contiguous tothe ball line. These steps and that of displacing the margins of theshank relatively to the central portion thereof are than completedtogether and are effected as herein illustrated, by exerting pressureagainst the sole in a direction included by the angle formed by thelongitudinal axis of the forepart and a chord subtending the shankportion of the sole. Since a pressure directed against the sole in theabove-defined manner may be resolved into components which aresubstantially perpendicular to the iorepart and shank portions of thesole, it is apparent that the shaping of the shank and-the controllingof the portion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line occursubstantially simultaneously and that the strain in the sole isdistributed through the portion of the sole contiguous to the ball lineas well as the adjacent portion of the shank.

Invention is also to be recognized in an improved machine constructedand arranged to operate upon a shoe sole in the above defined manner. Tothis end, there has been provided, in the machine in which the inventionis illustrated herein as embodied, means for relatively positioning thefore and heel parts of the sole so as to give the intermediate shankportion such an angular relation to the fore and heel parts as it is tohave in the finished shoe, members mounted for relative movement towardand away from each other shaped and arranged to operate upon the soleshank and a portion of the forepart contiguous to the'ball line, andmeans for relatively moving said members toward each other thereby tocontrol the portion of the forepart of the sole contiguous to the ballline by applying pressure to the said portion of the forepart and toimpart a permanent transverse curvature to the shank and by stretchingits margins with respect to the axial portion beyond their limit 'ofelastic recovery; In the present machine, as well as in that disclosedin the Letters Patent referred toabove, the relative positioning of thefore and heel parts of the sole is accomplished by the use of clampsarranged to grip the fore and heel parts of the sole and mounted forrelative movement heightwise of the sole so as to produce 55 and theclamped fore and heel parts. Of the sole treating members referred toabove, one, as embodied in the illustrated machine, is adapted tosupport the axial portion of the shank and the portion of the forepartcontiguous to the ball line, and the other is mounted for movementtoward and away from the first-mentioned member and has a sole engagingsurface shaped with reference to that of the first-mentioned member sothat all parts of the sole are made to conform strictly to the desiredshape. It will be found that a sole, when treated in this manner and bythis means, will lack any distortion from the desired'shape of theportion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line even when relativelyextreme longitudinal and transverse curvatures are imparted to theshank.

Machines requiring a sole to be positioned definitely with respect toits operating instrumentalities are sometimes provided with means forlocating the sole by engagement with an edge of the sole. Under someconditions, the effectiveness of the locating means may be impaired byjarring of the located sole as a result of the normal movement of thesole itself into a position in which it is operated upon or of theundesirable but inevitable vibrations caused by the more remoteoperating parts of the machine. According- 1y, another object of thepresent invention is to provide improved means for locating a sole withrespect to means for operating upon it, and with this object in view,one feature of the invention consists in the combination with devicesfor operating upon soles mounted for relative movement toward and awayfrom each other, of sole locating means, a sole engaging member disposednormally within the field of action of said devices, and means formoving the sole engaging member away from the field of action of saiddevices so as frictionally to urge the sole against the 10- catingmeans. It is apparent that by the use of a construction such as isdefined above any tendency of the sole to be moved away from thelocating means, is overcome throughout the relative movement between thesole engaging member, herein illustrated as a support, and the 10-cating means. The above-mentioned movement of the sole engaging memberor support is effected in the illustrated machine by means actuated bythe relative movement of the sole treating devices toward each other.The invention also contemplates the provision of means for moving thesole locating means out of engagement with the sole edge, for example,toward or at the end of the relative movement between the sole engagingmember or support and the sole locating means, whereby the danger ofeither the sole locating means or the sole support being damaged by thesole treating devices is entirely obviated. To this end and inaccordance with another feature of the invention, a part of the solelocating means in the construction shown is spaced from but disposed inthe path of movement of the sole support whereby the support andlocating means are moved away from the sole in succession as theoperating devices are moved relatively toward each other.

These and other features of the invention, and the method in its variousnovel aspects, will appear more fully from the following descriptionwhen read in connection with the drawings, and will be pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of a machine the desired angularrelation between the shank in which the invention is illustrated asembodied;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the sole treating and positioninginstrumentalities shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in plan illustrating the sole positioning devices andtheir operative relation to to the sole treating instrumentalities;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view partly in section and broken awayillustrating the sole treating instrumentalities at an early stage intheir operation upon a sole;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 4

showing the operating instrumentalities in perspective at a. final stageof their operation on a sole and as seen from the heel end;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane indicated by the linesVI-VI of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a view in perspective of the work engaging element of theconforming tool illustratingthe shape of its work engaging surface;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation, the sole positioning element having'beenremoved, and illustrating diagrammatically the operative relationbetween the pattern and sole conforming tool; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a sole which has been treated by amachine constructed in accordance with the present invention. 7

A machine of the type in which the invention is illustrated herein asembodied is completely disclosed in the Letters Patent No. 1,939,750above referred to, and accordingly only such elements of this machine asare necessary for an understanding of the present invention will bereferred to below.

The illustrated machine has sole controlling devices comprising heelpart and forepart clamp tables In and I2, and also heel part andforepart clamps l4 and I6. As in my prior machine, a rubber sheet I 8extends across the gap between the clamps l4 and I6 and covers theirlower surfaces. The clamp tables l0 and I2 are arranged to swingrelatively to the clamps I 4 and I6 between a sole receiving positiontoward the front of the machine, in which a sole to be treated is placedon a heel part element 20 and a pattern 22 carried by the clamp tablesI0 and I2 respectively, to a position in which the element 20 and thepattern 22 are alined with, but spaced from, the clamps l4 and It, asdescribed in Letters Patent No. 1,939,750 referred to above. A solehaving been properly positioned on the heel part element 20 and thepattern 22 with the assistance of means later to be described andforming important subject-matter of the present invention, the clamps I4 and I6 are then moved toward the element 28 and the pattern 22respectively until the upper side of the sole is engaged by the rubbersheet i8, its lower side being held against the heel part engagingelement 20 carried by the clamp table I0, and the forepart portion 24 ofthe pattern 22 carried by the forepart table l2.

' The sole engaging surface of the forepart portion 24' of the patternmay, if desired, be convexly shaped, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, inorder to impart such a curvature to the forepart of a sole as it is tohave in the finished shoe. In such a case, a similar curvature is givento the lower surface of the forepart clamp 16. The illustrated pattern22 also comprises a shank portion 28 which is integral with the forepartportion 24 and has substantially the same angular relation thereto asthat which is to exist between the shank and forepart portions of theshoes for which soles treatedin the machine are intended.

The rearward end of the shank. portion '25 is not supported by the heelpart clamp table l9, as is the case in my prior machine, but engages anabutment 28 which extends beneath a part of the heel clamp table 29 andis carried by the central web 39 of the upper frame 32 of the machine(Fig. l). The sole engaging surfaces of the forepart and shank elementsof the illustrated pattern 22 merge at a rather definite edge 36 whichimparts to a sole pressed firmly thereagainstan abrupt change in itsdirection at the ball line commonly called a break which is required insome shoes by thei style. While the break referred to is relativelypronounced in soles which have been operated upon by the patternillustrated herein, it is to be understood that whether the break issharp or gradual is immaterial to the invention. The ransverse curvatureof the shank portion 2% of the pattern is preferably made somewhatsharper than that of the sole as embodied in the finished shoe in orderthat the shank of the sole may be curved in excess of the desired amountand that its edges will therefore tend to hug the adjacent portion ofthe upper when the sole is attached to the upper.

As in my prior machine, the sole clampinginstrumentalities illustratedherein, after having been brought together to grip the fore and heelpart ends of the sole, are moved relatively to each other heightwise ofthe tread surface of the sole, thereby to position the fore and heelparts in such a way as to give the shank the same angular relation tothefore and heel parts which it is to have in the finished shoe. Thistreatment of the sole may be eifected, either with or without stretchingthe shank portion of the sole bodily, depending upon the adjustment of alink 36 which is adjustably clamped at one end to a bracket 33associated with the heel part clamp id and which is fixed at its otherend to a slide 59 mounted in a slideway member 52 associated with theforepart clamp It. As more fully described in the above-mentionedLetters Patent No. 1,939,750, the clamps I l, 86 can be relativelypositioned longitudinally of the sole by adjustment of the slide 39 withrespect to the slideway member d2, which may be effected in. theillustrated machine by turning a knob The link 36 is illustrated hereinas being so positioned as to cause no overall stretching of the sole asits fore and heel parts are relatively moved heightwise into thepositions they occupy in Figs. 4 and 5. The abovementioned relativeheightwise displacement of the forepart and heel part clamps is obtainedby dropping the heel part clamping devices .so that the upper surface ofthe end of the shank element 9.6 of the pattern adjacent to the heelpart clamp is substantially continuous with the upper surface of theheel part engaging element 29; and during this movement of the heel partclamping devices the forepart clamping devices are moved bodily to theright as seen in Fig. 1 so as not to cause the shank of the sole tobe'stretched over all, there being relative sliding movement at thistime between the contacting portions of the abutment 2% and the shankportion 2-5 of the pattern.

Before continuing to the description of the shank conforming operation,the illustrated sole locating instrumentalities will be explained; Thepositioning of a sole with respect to the pattern in the illustratedmachine before the clamping devices are brought together, is facilitatedby locating devices one of which comprises an abutment 46 adapted to beengaged by the toe end of the sole and thus to limit movement of thesole the operator.

longitudinally of the pattern; Lateral alin'ement of the longitudinalaxis of the sole with the corresponding axis of the pattern isfacilitated by a forepart locating member 58 and a heel part locatingmember so, both of which are adapted to engage the edge of a sole heldthereagainst by To insure that a sole, when held against the abutment t6and the sole locating members 43 and 5d, has the desired heightwiserelation with respect thereto, there is associated with each of theselocating means other means adapted to engage the lower surface of thesole. To this end, the abutment it is provided with a shoulder 52; asole support 5 is arranged to cooperate with the locating member i8; andthe locating member is notched to provide a sole supporting surface 55contiguous to its sole edge engaging surface, as clearly shown in Fig.2. The above-named forepart and heel part locating means are carried onslides 53 and 59 respectively, mounted for movement on slideway members52, which can be adjusted angularly with respect to the longitudinalaxis of the pattern, and held in adjusted position by means of clampscrews 6%. By properly adjusting the angle of the slideway members 62 inaccordance with the explanation of the adjustment of similar members inLetters Patent No. 1,939,750 soles of different sizes can be positionedboth longitudinally and widthwise of the pattern asa result of a singlemovement of the locating means, this movement being effected in thepresent machine, as well as in the prior machine, through rock levers 66which are positioned when the clamp table-s are swung into solereceiving position and the movement of which levers is transmitted tothe slides 58 and Gil through square rods 68 which are received withinslots in the slides 58 and 65. A sole may be both positionedlongitudinally and widthwise of the pattern and also supported againstthe force of gravity at the toe end and at two points along the sidenearer the operator by means of the above described instrumentalities.The sole will also usually engage the pattern at a point opposite thelocating member 48 adjacent to the rear edge Lost motion between theslides of the sole. and 6!! and the slideway members 92 is eliminated bysprings l8, Fig. 2, which urge upwardly T-headed bolts A? which hold theslides 58 and in assembled relation with the slideway mem bers 62.

The abutment 46 is disposed in a recess in the upper surface of thepattern 22 and is mounted for adjustment longitudinally of the pattern22 on a bracket 74 to which the abutment 46. can be i clamped by meansof a screw it; and the bracket -74 is mounted yieldingly to swingdownwardly, if

engaged by, the clamp M5, on a screw 18 inserted in-the slide 58. Aspring so surrounding the screw 18 is arranged to return the abutment A6to its original position, determined by a shoulder (not shown) extendingfrom the slide 58, when theclamps are again separated. The bracket i6 isalso provided with an index 82 which indicates the adjustment of theabutment 16 with respect to the bracket 14.

The forepart locating member 48 consists of a rod one end of which isbent upwardly, as indicated in Fig. 2 so as to engage the edge of thesole.- The rod is rotatably mounted in a support 84 which, together withthe sole support 54, is pivoted by means of a screw 86 on the slide 58.The bent or sole engaging end of the locating member 48 is normallyurged toward an upstanding position by means of a. coiled spring 88attached to the support 84 and which will allow the sole engagingportion of the locating member to be swung substantially into the planeof the sole if the clamp I6 is moved against it. The normal lateralposition of the member 48 with respect to the pattern 22 is determinedby an adjustable stop 90 which engages a lug 92 on the support 84. Thestop 90 is threaded in the slide 58 and thus can be turned adjustably toposition the member 48 with respect'to the pattern 22. The position ofthe member 48 with respect to the pattern is indicated at all times byan index 94 carried by the stop 90, as plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.The support 84 is urged in a clockwise direction (Fig. 3) to hold thelug 92 against the stop 90 by means of a spring 96 connecting thesupport 84 and the slide 58. The sole support 54 is so mounted as tohave limited movement with respect to the locating member 48, and tothis end is notched at 58 to receive a pin I carried by the support 84.The length of the notch is great enough with respect to the diameter ofthe pin I80, to allow the sole engaging portion of the support 54 to bemoved out of engagement with the bottom surface of the sole withoutimparting any movement to the sole locating means 48. member 54 isyieldingly held so as normally to extend under the bottom of a sole, theedge of which is held against the locating member 48, by means of aspring I82 coiled about the screw 86 and the ends of which abut againstpins carried by the sole supporting member 54 and the support 84 for thesole locating member 48.

The invention provides additional mechanism which successively removesthe sole support 54 from engagement with the sole, thereby frictionallyurging the sole edge against the sole locating member 48, and thenremoves the sole locating member 48 as well as the support 54 from thefield of action of the sole clamping devices. This operation is effectedby the relative movement of the sole clamping devices toward each otherby means of a bell crank I04 (Fig. 2) mounted on a standard I06 attachedto the clamp table I2. One arm I08 of the bell crank I04 is engaged by afinger I I 0 pivotally attached to the lower portion of the slide 40 andis thereby rotated downwardly (Fig. 2) when the clamp I6 is movedrelatively toward the pattern 22. This rotation of the bell crank I04 istransmitted by its other arm II2 to the sole support 54 through a pinII4 carried by the support 54; The support 54 is thus first swung out ofengagement with the sole as above described; and when all possible lostmotion between the sole support 54 and the support 84 has occurred, bothof these elements are moved simultaneously in a counterclockwisedirection (Fig. 3) out of the field of action of the forepart clampingdevices, that is, the clamp I6 and forepart portion 24 of the pattern22. This operation of the sole locating member 48 and the sole support54 is so related to the relative approach of the sole clamping devicesthat the sole locating member 48 is first moved away from the sole edgeat the same time as or somewhat later than when the sheet I8 firstengages the upper surface of the sole.

The heel part locating member 50 is rotatably supported on a pin I I6carried by a slide I I8 arranged for movement laterally of the patternand. sole in a slideway in the slide 60. Adjustment of the member 50toward and from the longitudinal axis of the pattern can be efiected byturning a knob I20, mounted in the slide 60, and having The solesupporting formed integral therewith a pinion meshing with a rack I22 onthe slide II8. An index I24 is arranged, as illustrated in Fig. 3, toindicate the relative positions of the slide I I 8 and the slide 60. Thepivotal connection between the member 50 and the pin I I6 allows theformer to swing downwardly under the influence of the rubber sheet I8 orthe clamp I4, but it is returned to its normal heightwise position,determined by a stop I26 fixed to the slide H8, by means of a spring I28the arrangement and operation of which are apparent from Figs. 2 and 3.

The description given above relating to the construction and use of thesole positioning instrumentalities may be summarized as follows:Assuming that the slideway members 62 have been positioned angularlywith respect to the clamp tables I0 and I2 in the desired manner and inaccordance with the relation of the variations in length and width ofsoles of different sizes but of the same style, the slides 58 and 60 aredefinitely positioned with respect to the slideways when the pattern ismoved by the swinging of the clamp tables I0 and I2 to its solereceiving position, such, for example, as that in which it isillustrated in Fig. 6 in Letters Patent No. 1,939,750 referred to above.A sole is then positioned with respect to the pattern 22 with the helpof the gaging instrumentalities 46, 48, 50 and 54 referred to above. Thesole is placed over the pattern in abutting relation to the positioningdevices by means of a movement directed in part toward the left (Fig. 3)to cause the toe end of the sole to engage the abutment 46, and partlytoward the front of the machine to cause the edge of the sole adjacentto the members 48 and 50 to be placed against them. As pointed outabove, the sole is supported against the force of gravity by restingupon the shoulder 52, the supporting member 54, the surface 56 of themember 58, and also usually by the pattern 22 adjacent to the sole edgedirectly opposite to the portion of the sole edge engaged by the member48. The clamp tables I0 and I2 are then swung by their operatingmechanism into a position of alinement with but spaced from the clampsI4 and IS, and, as soon as this movement has been completed, the clampsare moved toward the clamp tables in order to cause the fore and heelparts of the sole to be gripped. The movement of the clamp I6 toward theforepart portion 24 of the pattern 22 is utilized successively to movethe sole support 54 out of engagement with the lower surface of the soleand to move the sole locating member 48 out of engagement with the soleedge. This operation of the sole engaging members is initiated by thefinger IIO associated with the slide 40 when it engages in its downwardmovement the arm I08 of the bell crank I84. The resulting rotation ofthe bell crank is transmitted by its other arm II2 first to the solesupport 54 through the upstanding pin II i fixed in the support. As thesole support 54 is swung away from the sole about the pivot 86 the soleedge at its side is urged against the locating member 48, and at its toeis urged against the abutment 46 as a result of the frictional forcebetween the sole support 54 and the sole having components directedtoward both of them, and, any tendency of the sole to be moved away fromthe locating member 48 or abutment 45, owing to vibration of themachine, is overcome. By the time the sole support 54 will have beenmoved out of contact with the lower surface of the sole, the rubbersheet I8 will have interfere with the clampmg of the forepart pertion ofthe sole, the latter is moved still further out of the path of the clamp!5 or no rubber sheet E8, and the member 54 is moved out of engagementwith the sole edge during the last part of the movement of the clamp I5toward pattern 22. This movement of the sole support is a continuationof that referred above but the movement of thelocating member lfi doesnot begin until t1 e pin Hill is engaged by the side of the slot 93adjacent to the pattern, as a result of the sole support 5% being swungin a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 3). As mentioned above, boththeabutment 45 and the member 58 are arranged to swing downwardly abouttheir respective pivots l8 and H6 if they are engaged by the rubbersheet It.

The fore and heel parts of the sole thus having been clamped in thedesired relation with respect to the pattern, the heel part clamp tableE9 and the clamp M are then dropped relatively to the forepart clamp I6and table I2 by means of mechanism which has been described andillustrated in Letters Patent No. 1,939,750 in order that the shank willhave the desired angular'relation with respect to the fore and heelparts.

The above-described operations, namely, the

positioning of the sole with respect to the pattern by the operator withthe assistance of the abovementioned locating means, the clamping of thefore and heel parts by the sole controlling devices, and the moving ofthe heel part of the sole relatively to the forepart heightwise thereoffor the purpose of giving the shank portion the same relation to thefore and heel parts as it is to have in the finished shoe, precede theoperation of imparting the desired transverse curvature to the shank ofthe sole and the forming of the sole in the vicinity of the break, whichwill now be described. 7

The forming of the sole in the vicinity of the break and throughout theshank portion is effectcd in the operation of the illustrated machine bycontrolling the portion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line anddisplacing the marginal portions of the shank relatively to the centralor axial portion thereof. Preferably, the sole is treated in both of theways referred to above simultaneously by causing a conforming tool,herein illustrated as having a'rubber pad I39 (Fig. 7), to exert apressure against the sole in a direction included by the angle betweenthe longitudinal axis A-A,of the forepart and a chord BB subtending theshank portion of the sole as illustrated in Fig. 8. The pad 530, asshown in Figs. '7 and 8, is shaped with reference to a portion of theforepart of the pattern 22 contiguous to the ball line and also withreference to a substantial portion of the shank of the pattern,allowance having been made for the thickness of the rubber sheet i3which separates the pad I38 from the sole. The pad I39 has a forepartsurface' 532 which is curved or planein accordance.

with the shape of the forepart portion 24 of the pattern with itcooperates. The pad also comprises oppositely arranged lobes ISd'havingconvexly curved surfaces E36 whichare shaped with reference to the sidesof the shank element 25 of the pattern and also to a limited extent withreference to the surfaces itlio'f the forepart portion of the patternwhich extend toward the ball line of the pattern and are substantiallycontinuous with the sides of the shank portion 26.

The pad I38 is carried by a sheath its which is supported by means ofdove-tailed connections M2 on a member Ms arranged to rock against aboss M6 formed on the lower end of a shaft I48 which slides verticallyin the frame. The member M6 is connected to the shaft I48 by anarrangement of links of the type fully disclosed in Letters Patent No.1,939,750 which allows the pad I39 to rock or swing freely so as to seatitself uni-' formly against the entire area of the portion of the solewhich it covers.

As the shaft I 18 is moved downwardly to cause the pad I to seat itselfon the sheet I8 over the sole as referred to above, the pad is firstswung about the boss I46 until the edge of the forepart surface I 32nearest the toe end of the sole and a portion of the junction of thesurfaces 7 I34 and I36 cause the rubber sheet I8 to be firmly pressedagainst the sole as indicated in Fig. 4. Further movement of the pad I30toward the pattern 22, which in the illustrated machine is caused by aforce exerted thereon by the boss I46 on the shaft I48 in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the chord B+B subtending the shankportion of the sole or pattern (as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 8),results in pressure being applied in succession to portions of theforepart and shank contiguous to the ball line, theformation of theabove-described break in the sole at the ball line by shaping the shankof the sole about the edge 34, and, simultaneously, the

stretching of the margins 'of the shank with re- While, as describedabove, the pad I36, as illustrated herein, is urged during the finalstages of its operation toward thesole by a force exerted substantiallyperpendicular to the chord subtending the shank portion of the pattern,it is apparent that the pad will perform its forepart controlling andshank forming functions if the force applied to it by the boss I46 isexerted in any direction included by the angle formed by the axis AA andthe chord B-B, since such a force may be resolved into components whichare perpendicular to this axis and chord, and

hence act directly against both the forepart of r the sole and theshank.

Owing to the ease with which a sole can be bent to conform to the smallcurvature of the forepart treating surfaces of the pad I30 and of thepattern 22 forwardly of the ball line, and the relatively greatresistance to bending offered to the pad by the shank portion of thesole, it is apparent that the portion of the forepart of the solecontiguous to the ball line will be controlled by being firmly heldbetween the pattern and sheet I8 from a relatively early point in theshaping operation, before the shank has been formed, throughout theperiod during which the shank of the sole is pressed about the pattern.Thus, the only relative movement of any consequence between the forepartportion of the pad I] and the corresponding portion of the pattern I2during the period when the shank is formed is that resulting from theresilience of the rubber of whichthe pad is made. The surface I32 therefore actsas' a fulcrum about which the pad l3ll rocks during that partof the shaping operation which occurs, for example, between the stagesof the operation of the machine represented by Figs. 4 and 5. Moreover,gr1pping of the sole between the surface I32 of the pad I30 and theforepart portion 24 of the pattern obviates excessive stretching andhence rupture of the sole at the ball line by preventing anydisplacement of the portion of the sole including the ball line towardthe shank which might result either from the tension set up in the shankas it is shaped or from the tendency of the lobed portions I34 of thepad to slide down the inclined shank portion 26 of the pattern. A flatsole which has received the treatment above described in the illustratedmachine has an appearance such as that of the sole illustrated in Fig.9, the forepart of which is curved somewhat, and exhibits a well-definedbreak I44 between the forepart and shank, the

latter being transversely curved as indicated by the transverse sectionin Fig. 9 to a somewhat greater extent than its actual curvature will bewhen embodied in a shoe, in order that its marginal edges will tend tohug closely the adjacent portion of the upper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles mounted forrelative movement toward and away from each other, sole locating meansshaped and arranged to engage the edge of a sole, a sole supportdisposed normally within the field of action of said devices and mountedto have limited movement relatively to said locating means, and meansfor moving said sole support away from the field of action of saiddevices in excess of its said limited movement relatively to saidlocating means so as frictionally to urge the sole against said locatingmeans and then to move said locating means away from the sole edge.

2. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles one ofwhich devices is mounted for movement toward and away from the other,sole locating means disposed normally within the field of action of saiddevices, a sole support mounted for movement with respect to said solelocating means so as frictionally to urge the edge of the sole againstsaid locating means, and means actuated by said movable device formoving said sole support and said locating means in succession away fromthe field of action of said devices.

3. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles mounted forrelative movement toward and away from each other, sole locating means,a sole support mounted for movement with respect to said locating meansso as frictionally to urge the soleedge against said locating means, andmeans for operating the sole support, a part of said locating meansbeing spaced from and disposed in the path of movement of said supportwhereby said support and locating means are moved away from the sole insucces- $1011.

4. In a machine having devices for operating I upon shoe soles mountedfor relative movement toward and away from each other, means forlocating a sole widthwise with respect to said devices by engagementwith the sole edge, a sole support disposed normally within the field ofat spaced points at one side and the toe respectively, means mounted andarranged to engage the lower surface of the sole between said spacedpoints, and means actuated bythe relative movement of said devices formoving said last-mentioned means across the margin of the sole betweensaid spaced points out of the field of action of said devices.

6. In a machine having a device for operating upon a shoe sole, meansfor locating a sole with respect to said device comprising abutmentsadapted to position the forepart by engagement with the sole edge at thetoe and one side, a sole supporting member mounted for movement in apath extending between said abutments, and means for moving said solesupporting member across said sole edge thereby frictionally to urge thesole edge against said locating means.

7. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles mounted forrelative movement toward and away from each other, sole locating means,a sole supporting member mounted for movement widthwise of the sole,said locating means and said supporting member being mounted foradjustment in a direction extending obliquely with respect 'to thelongitudinal axis of said devices and means for moving said solesupporting member out of engagement with the sole, said means having anarm substantially parallel to the said direction of adjustment of saidlocating means and supporting member.

' 8. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles, an edgegage for locating a sole with respect to said devices, a movable solesupport, means for moving said support out of engagement with the sole,and connections between said edge gage and sole support constructed andarranged to utilize a portion of the movement of 7 said support to movesaid edge gage out of engagement with the sole edge.

9. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles, means forlocating a sole with respect to said devices adapted to engage the soleedge, means adjacent to the sole locating means arranged to engage thelower side of the sole, and means for successively moving thelast-mentioned means out of engagement with the lower side of the soleand the sole locating means away from the sole edge. 10. In a machinehaving devices for operating upon the shoe soles mounted for relativemovement toward and away from each other, solelocating means, means forsupporting the sole adjacent to the point of engagement of said 10-cating means with the sole mounted for movement with respect to saidlocating means away from the sole, and means actuated by the relativemovement of said devices toward each other for moving said sole supportand said sole-locating means away from the field of action of saiddevices.

11. In a machine having a device for operating upon a shoe sole, meansfor locating the sole with respect to said device, a sole supportingmember, said locating means and member being mounted to swing toward andaway from the sole, connections between said member and locating meansconstructed and arranged to allow a limited relative, movementtherebetween, and means for moving the said member toward said locatingmeans in excess of their limited relative movement along the sole so asfrictionally to urgeit against said locating means and then tomovesaidlocating means and sole supporting member away from the sole.

12. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles mountedfor relative movement toward and away from each other, a sole locatingmember having abutments adapted to engage the sole atv an end and side,a member disposed normally within the field of action of said devicesarranged to support the sole, means for first moving the last-mentionedmember so as frictionally to urge the sole against the abutments of said10- cating member and then away from the'field of 14. In a machinehaving devices for operating upon shoe soles mounted for relativemovement toward and away from each other, an edge gage adapted to locatea sole with respect to said devices by engagement with the sole at thetoe and one side thereof, a sole engaging finger mounted for movement ina path extending between the points of contact of said gage with thesole, and

means operated by the relative movement of said devices toward eachother for moving said sole engaging finger. 1

. 15. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles mountedfor relative movement toward and away from each other, an edge gageadapted to locate a sole widthwise of said devices, a sole engagingfinger mounted for movement relatively tosaid edge gage therebyfrictionally to urge the edge or the sole against the edge gage,said'edge gage and finger being disposed normally within the field ofaction of said devices, and means operated by the relative movement ofsaid devices toward each other to cause said relative movement betweenthe finger and the edge gage and then to move said edge gage and fingeraway from the sole simultaneously.

16. In a machine-having devices for operating upon shoe soles mountedfor relative movement toward and away from each other, an edge gage forlocating a sole with respect to said devices,

a finger arranged for engagement with the lower marginal surface of thesole and mounted for movement away therefrom in order frictionally tourge the sole edge against said edge gage, means actuated by therelative movement of said devices toward each other for causing saidfinger to be moved away from the sole, and connections between saidfinger and edge gage for imparting some of the movement of the finger tothe edge gage.

' 17 In a machine having devices for operating upon a shoe sole mountedfor relative movement toward and away from each other, an edge gage, asole support, said gage and support being mounted upon one of saiddevices for relative movement whereby said support can be with drawnfrom engagement with a sole in located position while said gage'is incontact with the sole edge, and means actuatedby the other of saiddevices for operating said sole support.

18, In a machine having devices for operating upon a shoe sole one ofwhich devices is mount ed to move toward and away from the other; an

' sole support in oneof its extreme positions w respect to the edgegage, and means for succ edge gage arranged to locate a sole withrespect to said devices, a sole engaging finger mounted for movementrelatively to the edge gage thereby frictionally to urge the soleagainst said edge gage, mechanism actuated the movable device foroperating said finger, and means arranged to limit the relative movementof said finger and edge gage and then positively to transmit themovement of the finger to the edge gage.

19. In a machine having devices for operating upon shoe soles mountedfor movement toward and away from each other, sole locating means, asole engaging finger, said locating means and finger being mounted tohave limited movement with respect toeach other, means for yieldinglyholding said finger and locating means at one extreme of this relativemovement, and means for relatively moving said locating means and fingerto the other extreme of their relative movement and for also withdrawingboth said locating means and finger from contact with the sole as saiddevices are moved relatively toward each other.

20. In a machine having devices for operating upon a sole mounted forrelative movement toward and away from each other, sole locating means,a sole support, said support and locating means having limited relativemovement and being mounted to swing within and away from the field ofaction of said devices, means for yieldingly holding said locating meansand said support at one extreme of their relative movement, and meansactuated by the relative movement of said devices toward each other forrelatively moving said locating means and support to the other extremeof their relative movement and for then swinging them away from thefield of action of said devices.

21. In a machine having devices for operating upon a shoe sole one ofwhich moved toward and away from the other, means for locating'a solewith respect to said devices, means having limited movement with respectto said sole locat" ing means and constructed and arranged to sup-- porta sole by engagement with its lower margin, yielding means for normallyholding said locating means and supporting means at one extreme of theirrelative movement, and means operated by said movable device as itapproaches the other device arranged to move said locat-- w ing meansand the said sole supporting means to the other extreme to theirrelative movement ant then out of contact with the sole.

22. In a machine having devices for operating upon a shoe sole, an edgegage adapted to locate a sole with respect to said devices and mountedfor movement toward and away therefrom, an adjustable abutment forlimiting the movement of said edge gage toward said devices, a solesupport having limited movement with respect to said edge gage, meansfor normally holding 'l sively moving said sole support to its othertreme position with respect to the edge gage out of contact with saidadjustable abutment.

' 23. In amachine having devices for operating upon shoe soles mountedfor relative movement toward and away from each other, means associatedwith one of said devices for locating a sole with respect to saiddevices, a sole support associated with said locating and having afingerarranged to extend under a sole the edge of whichabuts saidlocating means, said support being "inounted for movement with respecttosaid locating means away from the sole to allow said finger to bewithdrawn from the sole, a stop on said locating means disposed in thepath of said support positively to connect the locating means andsupport after said finger has been Withdrawn from the sole, and meansactuated by another of said devices for operating said support andsole-locating means.

24. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingportions of the fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively moving theclamped fore and heel parts of the sole heightwise thereof so as to givethe intermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore andheel parts as it is to have in the finished shoe, gripping an unclampedportion of the forepart and that part of the shank which are contiguousto the ball line, and displacing the marginal portions of the shankrelatively to the central portion thereof, thereby to impart a permanenttransverse curvature to the shank.

25. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingportions of the fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively displacing thefore and heel parts of the sole heightwise thereof so as to give theintermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore and heelparts as it is to have in the finished shoe, applying pressure to theunclamped portion of the forepart and that part of the shank which arecontiguous to the ball line and stretching the marginal portions of theshank relatively to the central portion beyond their limit of elasticrecovery, thereby to impart a permanent transverse curvature to theshank.

2.6. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingportions of the fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively moving thefore and heel parts of the sole heightwise thereof so as to give theintermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore and heelparts as it is to have in the finished shoe, applying pressure toopposite sides of the portions of the forepart and shank which arecontiguous to the ball line, and stretching the marginal portions of theshank relatively to the central portion beyond their limit of elasticrecovery, thereby to impart a permanent transverse curvature to theshank.

27. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingthe fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively displacing the fore andheel parts of the sole heightwise so as to give the intermediate shankportion such an angular relation to the fore and heel parts as it is tohave in the finished shoe, applying pressure to portions of the forepartand shank contiguous to the ball line to control the sole in thevicinity of the ball line and simultaneously to displace the marginalportions of the shank relatively to the central portion thereof, therebyto impart a permanent transverse curvature to the shank.

28. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists inrelatively positioning the fore and heel parts of a sole so as to givethe intermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore andheel parts as it is to have in'the finished shoe, and exerting pressureagainst the sole in a direction included by the angle formed by thelongitudinal axis of the forepart and a chord subtending the shankportion of the sole both to control the portion of theforepartcontiguous to the ball line and also to displace the marginalportions of the shank relatively to the central portion thereof.

29. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists inrelatively positioning the fore and heel parts of a sole so as to givethe intermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore andheel parts as it is to have in the finished shoe, clamping the portionof the forepart contiguous to the ball line, and stretching the '5marginal portion of the shank relatively to the central portionlongitudinally of the shank by exerting pressure against the saidportion of the forepart and the shank in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to a chord subtending the 10 shank portion of the sole.

30. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingthe heel part and a portion of the forepart of a sole spaced from theball line, relatively displacing the clamped porl5 tions of the soleheightwise thereof to give the intermediate shank portion and theclamped portions such an angular relation as they are to have in thefinished shoe, gripping an unclamped portion of the forepart contiguousto the ball line and displacing the marginal portions of the shankrelatively to the central portion thereof thereby to impart a permanenttransverse curvatureto the shank.

31. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingportions of the fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively displacing theclamped portions of the sole heightwise thereof to give the intermediateshank" portion and the clamped portions such an angular relation as theyare to have in the finished shoe, and simultaneously applying pressureto a portion of the forepart contiguous to'the ball line and displacingthe marginal portions of the shank relatively to the central portionthereof, thereby to impart a permanent transverse curvature to theshank.

32. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingportions of the fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively displacing theclamped portions of the sole heightwise thereof to 40 give theintermediate shank portion and the clamped portions such as angularrelation as they are to have in the finished shoe, and simultaneouslyclamping another portion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line andstretching the marginal portions of the shank relatively to the centralportion beyond their limit of elastic recovery, thereby to impart apermanent transverse curvature to the shank.

33. That method of operating upon shoe soles which consists in clampingportions of the fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively displacing theclamped portions of the sole heightwise thereof to give the intermediateshank portion and the clamped portion such an angular relation as theyare to have in the finished shoe, and simultaneously applying pressureto the portion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line and to themarginal portions of the shank in a direction included by the angleformed by the longitudinal axis of the forepart and a chord subtendingthe shank portion of the sole in order to displace the marginal portionsof the shank relatively to the central portion while controlling theportion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line. 5

34. That method of operating upon soles which consists in clampingportions of the fore and heel parts of a sole, relatively displacing theclamped portions of the sole to give the intermediate shank portion andthe clamped portions an angular relation such as they are to have in thefinished shoe, and simultaneously applying pressure to the portion ofthe forepart contiguous to the ball line and to the marginal portions ofthe shank in a direction substantially perpendicular to a chord 751subtending the shank portionofthe sole in order to displace the marginalportions of the shank relatively to the central portion whereby apermanent transverse curvature is imparted to the shank.

35. In a machine foroperating upon shoe soles, means for relativelypositioning the fore and heel parts of a sole so as to give theintermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore and heelparts as it is to have in the finished shoe, members mounted formovement relatively toward and, away from each other for operating uponthe shank and a portion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line, andmeans for relatively moving said members toward each other thereby toapply pressure to the said portion of the forepart and to stretch themarginal portions of the shank relatively to the central portion beyondtheir limit of elastic recovery whereby a permanent transverse curvatureis imparted to the shank.

36. In a machine for operating upon shoe soles, means for relativelypositioning the fore and heel parts of a sole so as to give theintermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore and heelparts as it is to have in the finished shoe; members mounted forrelative movement toward and away from each other shaped and arranged toengage opposite sides of the sole at the shank and the portion of theforepart contiguous to the ball line, and means for causing relativemovement between said members whereby pressure is applied to a portionof the forepart contiguous to the ball line and the marginal portions ofthe shank are displaced relatively to the central portion thereofthereby to impart a permanent transverse curvature to the shank.

37. In a machine for operating upon shoe soles, means for relativelypositioning the fore and heel parts of a sole so as to give theintermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore and heelparts as it is to have in the finished shoe, said means comprising amember adapted to support the axial portion of the shank and the portionof the forepart contiguous to the ball line, means mounted for movementtoward and away from said member having a sole engaging surface shapedwith reference to that of said member, and means for moving saidlast-mentioned means toward said member thereby simultaneously to applypressure to the portion of the forepart of the sole contiguous to theball line and to impart a permanent transverse curvature to the shank.

38. In a machine for operating upon shoe soles, means for relativelypositioning the fore and heel parts of a sole so as to give theintermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore and heelparts as it is to have in the finished shoe, said means including apattern having integral forepart and shank elements, a tool having ayielding sole engaging surface shaped with reference to the forepart andshank elements of the pattern, and means for moving the tool toward thepattern whereby pressure is applied to a portion of the forepart of thesole contiguous to the ball line and the marginal portions of the shankare displaced relatively to the central portion whereby a permanenttransverse curvature is imparted to the shank.

39. In a machine for operating upon shoe soles, means for relativelypositioning the fore and heel parts of a sole so as to give theintermediate shank portion such an angular relation to the fore and heelparts as it is to have in the fin ished shoe, said means comprisingapattern having a forepart element arranged to support the portion ofthe forepart of a sole contiguous to the ball line and a shank elementarranged to support the axial portion of the shank, a tool .5 comprisinga rubber pad the sole engaging surface of which is shaped with referenceto the forepart and shank elements of the pattern, and means for movingsaid pad toward said pattern to cause pressure to be applied to theforepart l0 portion of the solecontiguous to the ball line andsimultaneously to displace the marginal portions of the shank relativelyto the central por tion thereof.

40. In a machine for operating upon soles, 15 means for relativelypositioning the forepart and heel part of a sole, said means comprisinga pattern having forepart and shank elements the angular relationbetween which is substantially the same as that which is to existbetween the 20 forepart and shank of the sole in the finished shoe, amember cooperating with said pattern to shape a sole thereon having asole engaging surface shaped with reference to the forepart and shankelements of said pattern, and means 25 for moving said member toward thepattern, the said member being mounted so as to exert a pressure againstthe sole on the pattern extending in a direction substantiallyperpendicular to a chord subtending the shank element of the pat- 30tern.

41. In a machine for operating upon shoe soles, means for clamping thefore: and heel parts of a sole, a pattern having forepart and shankelements, a tool having a surface shaped 35 with reference to contiguousportions of the forepart and shank elements of the pattern, and meansfor relatively operating said tool and said pattern to control theportion of the forepart contiguous to the ball line and to displace the40 marginal portions of the shank relatively to the central portionthereof whereby a permanent transverse curvature is imparted to theshank.

42. In a machine for operating upon shoe soles, means for clamping thefore and heel parts 45 of a sole mounted for relative movementheightwise of the sole, a pattern having forepart and shank elements,means cooperating with said pat tern having a sole engaging surfaceshaped with reference to contiguous portions of the forepart 50 andshank elements of the pattern, and means for moving said last-mentionedmeans toward said pattern to cause the portion of the forepart of thesole contiguous to the ball line to be clamped against the pattern andto stretch the 5 marginal portions of the shank relatively to thecentral portion beyond their limit of elastic recovery whereby apermanent transverse curvature is imparted to the shank.

43. In' a machine for operating upon shoe soles, means for clamping thefore and heel parts of a sole mounted for relative movement heightwiseof the sole so as to give the intermediate shank portion such as angularrelation to the fore 65 and heel parts as it is to have in the finishedshoe, a pattern having integral forepart and shank elements, meanscooperating with the shank element of said pattern and a portion of theforepart contiguous thereto constructed and ar- 70 ranged to control aportion of the forepart of the sole contiguous to the ball line and tostretch the marginal portions of the shank relatively to the centralportion beyond their limit of elastic recovery, and means for movingsaid last-men- 7 i as it is to have in the finished shoe, a patternhaving integral forepart and shank elements the sole engaging surfacesof which are shaped in accordance with the transverse and longitudinalcurvatures which it is desired to irnpart to the sole, 8. toolcooperating with said pattern to shape the sole about the latter, saidtool having a sole engaging surface shaped with reference to the shankelement of said pattern and a portion of the forepart contiguousthereto, and means for moving said tool toward the pattern therebysimultaneously to control a portion o1 the forepart contiguous to theball line and to displace the marginal portions of the shank rel- 1atlvely to the central portion thereof.

ERASTUS E. WINKLEY.

